Module 2

While exploring Chapter 4’s focuses on Learning Differences and Learning Needs the things that stuck out the most were the dates of research the book was using. The professional findings had years that were dated from 2007, 2009, 2014 and so on. These years spoke to me because they are very recent. Education has been going on for hundreds of years and experts are still having breakthrough findings thanks to better resources in the technological age. For example the text states (Woolfolk p. 139) “Studies of the brain of students with learning disabilities and with attention-deficit disorders show some differences in structure and activated compared to those of students without problems (Barkley, 2006).” This makes me question the entire basis of our school’s curriculum of learning and how we did things in the past. For hundreds of years, professionals did not have this knowledge and now we do. It is important to focus on these present findings and to manage and change our classrooms worldwide. The intelligence of a child varies a lot more than we ever imagined and it is important to focus on the strengths of special education. Children with learning disabilities are just as important as children not labeled to have a disability and as teachers it is important to grow our knowledge.

Chapter 5’s section on Student-Led Conferences was very eye opening to me. Prior to reading this chapter I researched Carol Dweck’s findings on the growth mindset, and see these findings coming to play in this context. Rather than having a traditional parent-teacher conference, the text is proposing a student-led conference. This puts the student in charge of his or her education and can give the parent/teacher way more of a grasp to the student’s future. Having a pseudo-professional meeting with a student in this format enables a teacher and parent to really see a student’s motivation level and have his or her point of view come into context. Traditionally it was just the parent/teacher laying out a framework without the child’s inclusion. Seems like they were missing a vital ingredient. In order to have the best results, it is important the student is aware of what is expected from them. Having a well balanced framework will promote communication and a better layout of the student’s progress. This embodies the chapter’s focus on language development because we are encouraging a level playing ground for the student to speak his or her mind and have a voice in his or her future. Traditional practices encouraged very little language from the student because it was just the parent/teacher laying out what is expected.

Chapter 6 was a flashback to Trinity’s Introduction to Education course. The course valued culture and diversity to the utmost and it says a lot that this was the first emphasis the program has on us as teachers. It is important for teachers to play on the strengths of diversity and to create a welcoming environment for all students no matter the race, religion, socioeconomic and so on of the student.  The section of low expectations magnifies issues such as prejudging and misconceptions of students based on their overall look that is based on their economic background. It assumes that poor students are viewed as not bright from the start and that teachers will continue this stereotype in their learning. Having this notion, the students can view education as a dead-end value in their life and may focus on other outlets. It is important that this is not the case and a teacher focuses on each student and creates the best successful path for that instance.

Chapter 8 was another flashback for me. Cognitive Learning was the emphasis of my studies in my undergrad and its findings still blow my mind when I reread the concepts.  The theories of working memory and long-term memory played right in front of my eyes when my grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. I always read about this phenomenon in class (relating to the famous Phineas Gage example) but I kind of always thought “ehhh this could be a little exaggerated.” This was until I saw it for my own eyes. In my grandma’s final years, her memory backpedaled to many years prior. She was originally from Yugoslavia and did not speak English until she came to the states. With her disease she lost all memory of English and only spoke in her former language. When she saw me she would refer to me as my uncle and had no knowledge of who I was.  This chapter will relate to the classroom because as teachers we need to value the brain as a sometimes-unexplainable magnificent organ. Every child’s cognitive learning is complex and we need to work with all the resources we have obtainable.